Author Topic: Uber Frugal January  (Read 69781 times)

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #250 on: January 14, 2018, 10:33:02 AM »
2 weeks down, $334 spent. ($100 of that is car depreciation)

Looking to come in under $1500 for January ($550 being Rent Utility at the end of the month, and the $100 for car depreciation)

Actual cash outlay outside of rent should be $850!


westtoeast

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #251 on: January 14, 2018, 10:39:55 AM »
It's actually very easy for me to have "no-spend" days.  The biggest challenge is finding stuff to do in the middle of winter.  I would love to get out of the house tomorrow and do something fun.  I've been googling like crazy trying to find something free!  :)

Would love to hear what ideas you come up with! We are also trying to figure out fun free/cheap things to do out of the house when it is about 12 degrees (4 with windchill). All the indoor activities seem to cost money... eating out, going to a movie, visiting a museum... 

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #252 on: January 14, 2018, 10:51:05 AM »
Are there activities at libraries in your area?

Is there a community theater looking for an audience for dress rehearsal?

Museums often have a free day at some point.

Can you go to the mall for people watching without being tempted to spend?


LindseyC

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #253 on: January 14, 2018, 11:13:36 AM »
I am doing great this month. As of right now I am willing to bet my apartment size freezer will be empty by the end of the month so I can thaw it out and potentially leave it unplugged until my fridge freezer/pantry is cleaned out. My groceries for the month are still under $100 which is the monthly goal and I have tons of food left to eat up.

As mentioned previously, I earned an extra $100 and spent it on a few necessities. Outside of that I have spent:

Toiletries: $7
Gum: $3 (should have been $10 but they were on sale and I had a $4 coupon)
Eating out: $3.50
Paper towels: $6 (this will last me a year because I rarely use them)
Haircut: $26

The only other non-bill spending has been for groceries and gas and both are inline with the budget.

hal

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #254 on: January 14, 2018, 02:11:19 PM »
Glad to hear of others’ successes this month. So far, we are still on track. The only exception is that I went slightly over budget for my dining out category. My SO and I celebrated 5 years together, using a gift card to a nice restaurant. The bill came out bigger than the gift card balance, which was fine... I don’t intend on purchasing fuel this month, so I moved some money around in my budget to account for a great meal.

wordnerd

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #255 on: January 14, 2018, 02:54:29 PM »
It's actually very easy for me to have "no-spend" days.  The biggest challenge is finding stuff to do in the middle of winter.  I would love to get out of the house tomorrow and do something fun.  I've been googling like crazy trying to find something free!  :)

Would love to hear what ideas you come up with! We are also trying to figure out fun free/cheap things to do out of the house when it is about 12 degrees (4 with windchill). All the indoor activities seem to cost money... eating out, going to a movie, visiting a museum...

I live in the South, so my definition of cold is a little different, but it's a challenge here too. I've found having friends over/going over to others' is a great cold day activity. Today we went to a friend's to make "vision boards" for 2018 (basically, cutting up magazines to make collages for our hopes for the year; sounds hokey, but fun social time and pretty much free for host and guest). We've also done board game days.

Yesterday, we went to the library for over an hour, which is a pretty standard weekend activity for us. I have monthly yoga membership so there's no marginal cost to using it, and it's great for cold days.

HappierAtHome

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #256 on: January 14, 2018, 05:15:16 PM »
My SO and I celebrated 5 years together, using a gift card to a nice restaurant.

Congratulations on your anniversary!!

Jenny Wren

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #257 on: January 14, 2018, 07:07:48 PM »
We did it! We had a wonderful mini-vacation and we managed to stick to our goals! Our AirBnB hostess provided us with a selection of local coffee beans and a grinder, as well as oatmeal, granola, and yogurt cups. This took care of the three breakfasts! We hit up the grocery store right away and stocked up on a few easy items. We also brought trail mix from home.

Outside of the scheduled meetings I had at the university, we did a lot of hiking and beach strolling -- both free.  It rained almost the whole time, but we know what western WA is like in January so we dressed for the weather and would not be deterred. Rain and 40 F temps were a welcome change from the snow and freezing temps we left behind, anyway!

Bellingham is a hot bed of craft breweries, so we had to plan carefully to stay within our entertainment budget. We hit a different brewery for lunch and dinner each day. We'd split one of the cheaper appetizers and each get a different beer.  We also timed dinner so it fell within happy hour on Thurs and Friday. The only exception was Friday night, where we hit up a couple of breweries that don't serve food. We ate at the cottage before heading downtown to soak up the vibe and a couple of drinks each.

We're getting close to our grocery max budget, but there are only two more bread/milk trips left in January so we should be okay! We also maxed our entertainment budget, so we'll have to hold strong to our goals. Fortunately, this trip really cemented our primary goals of moving and my continuing education. I think we are now both firmly on the same page on what we are working toward!!!

Grocery 329.49/400
No spend 10/31 (Goal 23 no spend days)
Clothing/gifts 0/0
Entertainment 150.33/150 Oh noes! We went .33 cents over! I think I'll give us a pass on that one ;)

westtoeast

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #258 on: January 14, 2018, 07:25:13 PM »
Are there activities at libraries in your area?

Is there a community theater looking for an audience for dress rehearsal?

Museums often have a free day at some point.

Can you go to the mall for people watching without being tempted to spend?

Great ideas. We did each end up spending $7 to go to a matinee movie... but I also did some googling and found that multiple museums are free for the holiday tomorrow! Will try to get to one of those.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #259 on: January 14, 2018, 08:29:28 PM »
We did it! We had a wonderful mini-vacation and we managed to stick to our goals! Our AirBnB hostess provided us with a selection of local coffee beans and a grinder, as well as oatmeal, granola, and yogurt cups. This took care of the three breakfasts! We hit up the grocery store right away and stocked up on a few easy items. We also brought trail mix from home.

Outside of the scheduled meetings I had at the university, we did a lot of hiking and beach strolling -- both free.  It rained almost the whole time, but we know what western WA is like in January so we dressed for the weather and would not be deterred. Rain and 40 F temps were a welcome change from the snow and freezing temps we left behind, anyway!

Bellingham is a hot bed of craft breweries, so we had to plan carefully to stay within our entertainment budget. We hit a different brewery for lunch and dinner each day. We'd split one of the cheaper appetizers and each get a different beer.  We also timed dinner so it fell within happy hour on Thurs and Friday. The only exception was Friday night, where we hit up a couple of breweries that don't serve food. We ate at the cottage before heading downtown to soak up the vibe and a couple of drinks each.

We're getting close to our grocery max budget, but there are only two more bread/milk trips left in January so we should be okay! We also maxed our entertainment budget, so we'll have to hold strong to our goals. Fortunately, this trip really cemented our primary goals of moving and my continuing education. I think we are now both firmly on the same page on what we are working toward!!!

Grocery 329.49/400
No spend 10/31 (Goal 23 no spend days)
Clothing/gifts 0/0
Entertainment 150.33/150 Oh noes! We went .33 cents over! I think I'll give us a pass on that one ;)

Love Bellingham! We used to drive from Seattle to Vancouver often, and stop in Bellingham on the trip. Such a fun place. We're now in the Bay Area, and there's nowhere quite like it.

eliza

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #260 on: January 14, 2018, 11:12:42 PM »
Day 14: Success

Still on vacation, today I spent $15.25:
  • $2.25 on a bus trip - public transit FTW
  • $5 on a tip for dinner/drinks in the lounge
  • $8 on tips for the bartenders at the Video Poker bar where I watched the Steelers lose :-( and the Penguins win :-)

But, maybe don't ask how much I've lost gambling.  It could make a mustachian weep.

Monthly spending to date: $601.46/$1,750

Linea_Norway

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #261 on: January 15, 2018, 02:08:37 AM »
I also like to stay focussed on a monthly basis.

Goals for January:
1) Stay active. If possible, go cross country skiing. Or go hiking to work, winter not being an excuse.
2) Don't buy stuff at the cafeteria at work. This month I bought 3 things, one expensive cake thing, one lunch and one coffee bread. 3 unnecessary things too many.
3) Don't buy too many veggies in a row. Just eat up what you have before anything spoils. This usually goes well, but sometimes I loose focus and buy mindlessly.
4) Don't buy more stuff that I don't really need. This month I bought a couple of things (second hand) that I could have lived without.
5) I don't need new clothes.
6) Go to bed on time to be in better shape during the day. Not use half an hour extra on reading in bed.
7) Like December: no more drinking alcohol on normal weekdays, except for Friday. Also, max 1 bottle of wine per week (for the 2 of us).

1) Saturday and Sunday: cross country skiing. Today: Hiking to work. Before this is wasn't in good health to do too much.
2) Haven't bought anything at the cafetaria.
3) Doing well. We have a correct amount of veggies and don't let them spoil.
4) We haven't bought unnecessary stuff. DH received a gift card. He spent it on stuff we need. Including replacement of a CO2 cylinder that we use for beer brewing. The old (ancient) one had a crappy lock and the shop doesn't want to fill it up anymore.
5) No new clothes are bought. DH is sewing me a new jackets to replace an old one that is worn through. This is done mostly because he is very much in the mood to be sewing.
6) Trying to go to bed at decent times. Last evening I wanted to see a show on TV that started a little late and wasn't available online earlier. I went to bed straight after that. And still managed to get up at 6 am.
7) Still doing well. Not drinking on weekdays, other than Friday. And still drinking only 1 bottle of wine per weekend by the two of us, divided over Saturday and Sunday.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #262 on: January 15, 2018, 02:11:36 AM »
The is by the way not an über frugal month. Last year, my cashback credit card let me choose what to get cashback on. I choose groceries the whole year and got 3% back on all my groceries. This month groceries were not an option. I had to choose between buying clothes, buying electronics and something else that I don't spend money on. I think I chose clothes, but I'm not buying anything.
I hope that from next month on, I will be able to choose groceries again. But maybe they discovered that it is too expensive for them...

Luckyvik

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #263 on: January 15, 2018, 04:21:47 AM »
Monday 15th No coffee bought, I have to take it easy on the free machine at work though, I’m drinking too much coffee.
Lunch was leftovers. Did buy roast chicken for dinner, half for dinner and half for tomorrow’s lunch and wedges plus made salad. So lunch win but dinner fail. The chicken is the same prize if I had bought from supermarket but the wedges were unnecessary.


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Wanttobehome

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #264 on: January 15, 2018, 06:01:13 AM »
8th to 15th Jan

 3 X no spend  days
100 groceries
50 for future day out 

Going on a trip later in the year paid for by family as a birthday present.

I have started to plan what I am doing / want to achieve over the year and asking presents that will help me achieve them.

I have received a new suitcase , for Christmas, for my trip later in the year.
This works out better than trying to think of something at the last minute when asked for ideas.

No other spending

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #265 on: January 15, 2018, 07:02:45 AM »
I am having trouble making any large changes to spending through the UFJ - I seem to have already done a lot of the assignments.  I joined MMM after years of low income to halt the lifestyle creep that had started so the last year and a half was finding my way back to frugality that I had been living with through by first being a SAHM and then Hub's job loss and career change.
I am using the UFJ to start conversations with Hubs.  It is reaffirming current actions or tipping us over the edge when we are discussing something.  So now that I think about it - even the opportunity to open a conversation about frugality is a good thing.
A good example occurred on Friday night. Hubs was burnt out from the week.  He called to say he was going to be able to come home soon and should we just go out for dinner.  I had been thinking about what would be a great dinner while I was still working.  - Chicken soup - really chunky and loaded with chicken and steaming warm.  The kids had already agreed that it would be edible.  So even though I hadn't even started making it or pulled the stock out of the freezer, I said I would make X and it would be ready at X time - could he wait for that?  It would be about the same time as restaurant food would hit the table, and we wouldn't have to go outside.  Would this have happened if I hadn't been doing UFJ.  Probably not.

frooglepoodle

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #266 on: January 15, 2018, 07:44:29 AM »
I haven't been checking in daily since I haven't felt like I've been doing a great job of being uber-frugal.

I've spent $330 on groceries this week, including some staples I was out of, which almost everything I need through the end of the week already purchased. My stretch goal for groceries was $400, which miiiiiiight be possible though I'm not sure. I'm trying to stock the freezer since I'll be out of town most of the first half of February and my husband doesn't really cook, so if I only reach my non-stretch goal of $450 I will be happy with that since it will mean February food spending will be very low!

I have also stuck to my aims of not buying any clothing or craft supplies. I've been working on projects using materials I already have!

haypug16

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #267 on: January 15, 2018, 09:31:01 AM »
Week 2 update;

Groceries = $200 ($164.58/200) - Not much left for the month but I know I wont need anything at least for this week and can probably get buy on very little for the last week and a half buy eating the food I already have in the house
Dining Out = $100 ($76.57/100) - I was really bad on Friday. I got sushi and bought DH and I really yummy smoothies on the spur of the moment without looking at where I was with this category. I have a dinner out planned for the end of the week so I'm going to see if I can use a gift card to help keep this category down
Entertainment = $50 ($35.57/50) I expect to hit this goal no problem
Clothes = $0 (modified after joining the No Clothes Shopping Challenge) ($0/0) so far so good
Personal & Household items = $10 - ($8/10)
Misc = $75 ($30/75)

Bee21

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #268 on: January 15, 2018, 03:18:48 PM »
So, last week of school hols, 2 birthdays (incl party) down,  the rest of the month should be fine.

We are buying school shoes today.

the wins so far:
grocery spending within budget
Birthday party spending (under 100 for 25 people, morning tea for kids, lunch for family. Can't believe how expensive the pinata can be damit)
No clothes shopping
1 book only (4 or 5 ? Can't remember) plus ordered 4 from the library (80 cents each, but I usually have them waived on library amnesty day)
Packed lunches for myself and husband (mind you that will end this week as he is working long days 200km away again and there is no way to store or keep it cool on site )
Childcare. (Friend offered to babysit and I got some annual leave to cover most of the days. We needed to pay only for 3 days)
Dentist (covered by insurance)
Free kids entertainment via the library and the science centre.

Fail
Unplanned trip (was a fantastic weekend, no hard feelings)
The book I bought (on impulse of course)
Entertainment and eating out are borderline (still within budget, but obvioysly not uberfrugal)
Husband bought some gazingus pins for his boat. (Like a toilet roll holder, cos I don't know how we managed without it in the past 9 years)

Mind you, some of the eating out is beneficial, as it somehow taught the kid that the food I make can be much better and they stopped pestering me for it ☺

LindseyC

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #269 on: January 15, 2018, 06:58:43 PM »
I spent $17 on a date afternoon with my SO on Sunday and some friends. That brings my entertainment for the month to $23 total. I feel that's pretty reasonable, but I am definitely curbing it for the rest of the month as a small mini challenge to myself.

I ran my numbers and so far this month I'm at $156 of "extra" spending and to offset that I earned an extra $100. I am going to try to earn another $100 extra in the next two weeks just to cover all extras.

eliza

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #270 on: January 15, 2018, 11:19:25 PM »
Day 15: Success

Still on vacation - headed home tomorrow afternoon.  Spending today: $11

$3 on tip for dinner.
$8 on tips for bartenders.

Monthly spending to date: $647.59/$1,750

(Noticed an error in my spreadsheet, so prior month-to-date reports may have been under reporting spend.  I'm too lazy to go back and try to correct those.)

HappierAtHome

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #271 on: January 15, 2018, 11:21:53 PM »
Hosting mums' group tomorrow on (relatively) short notice. Thought about getting to the shops to buy treats, but instead I'm knocking together a few things from the pantry and it's not costing any extra :-)

Carrie

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #272 on: January 16, 2018, 08:26:59 AM »
No spend day today - we're having a snow day! Cozy day to work on a project (quilting a gift), and for baking some bread.
Eta: tomorrow is now called as a snow day too! No spend, & finish the quilt. Love these quiet days at home.
« Last Edit: January 16, 2018, 10:29:55 PM by Carrie »

LindseyC

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #273 on: January 16, 2018, 12:26:17 PM »
Yikes I just went over my $100 grocery budget for the month by $37. However I popped into the store for one item and noticed a bit of a ruckus at the meat department. Lots of items knocked down by 40%stickers and then further discounts on top of that of varying percentages. One gentlemen said they double ordered their meat order or something to that effect.

I bought a giant pork roast, a giant pot roast and a ton of lamb. (Lamb is a rare treat for me, I love it but it is very expensive here) Well worth going over budget for, it is a huge quantity of meat. Luckily, I have been eating down my freezer so I have a ton of space for it.

TartanTallulah

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #274 on: January 16, 2018, 03:40:17 PM »
I continue to fail. A humungous car repair bill has jumped into the frame this week. At this rate, January will be our lowest month for saving money since DH started work.

eliza

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #275 on: January 16, 2018, 08:47:46 PM »
Day 16: Meh

Today, I spent: $22.20:
  • $2.25 on public transit.
  • $10 on lunch and beers
  • $9.95 for my moviepass subscription

Vacation is over and I am now back home, so the dining out and drinking out costs will stop or at least slow considerably.

Monthly spending to date: $669.79/$1,750.

YellowCat

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #276 on: January 17, 2018, 06:21:21 AM »
Day 12: $14.74 - Husband bought wine and cookies to bring to friends' house, as they were hosting us for dinner

Day 13: $2.99 - movie rental on Amazon (Murder on the Orient Express)

Day 14: $34.45 - groceries

Day 15: $0

Day 16: $28.56 - Husband bought 2-doz bagels for his work meeting. I had a frugal win after work: went for a nice long treadmill walk while I was waiting for Husband to wrap up his work so we could carpool home together. (We work in the same office.) No need for a gym membership and no need to walk around in the snow and slush outside either!

Day 17: should be $0. I'm working from home today, so nothing big planned from my side. I'll likely to try to head outside at lunchtime and shovel our driveway, which will be another frugal exercise win. I'm actually pretty pleased with how we're doing so far this month. We have enough food to keep us through next weekend (easily, I think) and Husband will be on another business trip from the 29th-Feb 1st, which will keep costs down. It's pretty easy for me to hunker down and just eat down the fridge / hibernate / hide when he's not around.
________________________
Non-Housing:
- Groceries: $231.44 / $330
- Gas: $53.14 / $100
- Lyft: $10.39 / $0 (not budgeted for)
- Fast Food: $33.25 / $0 (not budgeted for)
- Shopping: $51.15 / $0 (not budgeted for)
- Legal: $725
- Entertainment: $2.99 / $0 (not budgeted for)

Housing / Fixed:
Mortgage Payment: $1221.52
Car Loan: $326.33
Internet Bill: $26.98
Electric Bill: $42.29
Quarterly Water Bill: $142.44 ($47.48 per month Sept - Dec 2017)
Charity: $174.14 (based on last month)

Total: $3041.06
Target: < $3300
Remaining: $258.94

horsepoor

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #277 on: January 17, 2018, 07:01:57 AM »
Signed up for a discount on my phone bill.  Should have done a year ago, but it's done now, saving $6/month.

Spent $33.60 for a piece of horse training equipment on eBay.  Lowest price elsewhere was $59.95.  Planned purchase, not an impulse buy, so I'm happy with that.

Spent $35 last weekend on pizza and a couple beers; however, I'd anticipated going out for dinner before the show we have tickets for this Friday (purchased a couple months back), then my schedule changed, so we'll be scarfing leftovers before the show instead, so I guess it balances out.

Horse was cleared to taper off her meds at the vet visit on Monday.  Somehow the vet bill came in a little under what I anticipated, which is a rare occurrence.  Had enough meds left to do the taper without buying any more.

Finally received the bill for our freezer full of lamb.  $528, which blows up the grocery budget, but will last a year or more, and final price per pound for everything was lower than the price of ground lamb at the store.

On Monday I smoked a turkey bought on sale at Thanksgiving and we are eating turkey in many ways this week.  Leftovers will be frozen for future soups.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #278 on: January 17, 2018, 10:45:43 AM »
Yesterday I drank a glass of beer on a weekday. It was from beer in a champagne bottle that I had opened days ago. I thought the beer wouldn't get better from waiting even more days.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #279 on: January 17, 2018, 12:00:27 PM »
Frugal wins so far:
-Cancelled a $500 yearly service, and moved to an on demand model. Barring any major issues, should save us at least $450 of the $500.
-Have sold $50 worth of stuff on eBay
-Made all dinners at home (breakfasts & lunches are made at home, packed, and/or eaten for free at work)
-Leveraging the electric car for all errands (mine)/commuting.
-Have done a great job of keeping travel costs low (miles, discounted gift cards, using flight credits, etc)

Less frugal things:

-Groceries continue to be more than I'd like. In the process of getting our kids to make their own breakfasts & lunches, and went with some easier prep options to start off with.
-Booked both the boys for birthday parties. We skipped last year, as we were moving & they didn't get a party or to have friends over. So, this is kind of a combo year party. It includes bowling with a few friends, followed by a sleepover. This is their gift from us.

wordnerd

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #280 on: January 17, 2018, 01:50:55 PM »
I'm personally up to 10 no spend days in a row. DH bought groceries over the weekend, so maybe that broke the streak...But I'm pretty proud of myself, especially since that timeframe includes a three-day weekend with a young child.

If you believe that it takes 28 days to establish a new habit (I think that's what in the Power of Habit, but it's been a few years since I read it), I'm hopeful that I'll be less spendy by default come the end of the month. I'm particularly pleased with breaking my work cafeteria habit.

Jenny Wren

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #281 on: January 17, 2018, 02:45:55 PM »
Been uber frugal since we got home -- no spending at all since we returned! It helps that I have exams in 1.5 weeks, so no urge to go out. Add into that the fact it appears we are both coming down with plane plague (colds. Because we made the smart decision to fly somewhere and breath recycled air during cold season), and we probably won't be lured from the cozy home easily.

I do need to rouse the energy to go through the freezer tonight or tomorrow so I can plan meals for the rest of the month from what we have on hand. That way we won't end up going over our grocery budget!

Grocery 329.49/400
No spend 13/31 (Goal 23 no spend days)
Clothing/gifts 0/0
Entertainment 150.33/150

CrustyBadger

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #282 on: January 17, 2018, 03:32:31 PM »
Hi! I'm new here but wanted to say I've been following along and participating in Uber Frugal January as a way to free up more cash to pay off debt.

We have 2 adults and 2 hearty-eating teens in the family.   We eat far too much takeout, restaurant meals and convenience foods each month.   Likely $400-$600 in takeout and another $800 in groceries... haven't tracked it.

I challenged myself to NO MEALS OUT out this month and mostly kept to it.   (Not entirely, but at least no dinner takeouts... have cooked every night.)

I challenged myself to spend only $400 this month in groceries.  Well, that has been a complete bust, especially because I am not doing takeout dinners anymore!  I think $550 would have been a lot more realistic, given that I have just sprung this frugality on my family.   But I'm going to stick with $400 because I am stubborn.

So, this is how I've done so far in month one.  I intend to improve. 

Meals Out:  $44/(budgeted $0)
Groceries:  $438/$400
Clothing: $104/(budgeted $0)
Household:  $0/$0
Gas:  $64/$60


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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #283 on: January 17, 2018, 04:32:37 PM »
Hi! I'm new here but wanted to say I've been following along and participating in Uber Frugal January as a way to free up more cash to pay off debt.

We have 2 adults and 2 hearty-eating teens in the family.   We eat far too much takeout, restaurant meals and convenience foods each month.   Likely $400-$600 in takeout and another $800 in groceries... haven't tracked it.

I challenged myself to NO MEALS OUT out this month and mostly kept to it.   (Not entirely, but at least no dinner takeouts... have cooked every night.)

I challenged myself to spend only $400 this month in groceries.  Well, that has been a complete bust, especially because I am not doing takeout dinners anymore!  I think $550 would have been a lot more realistic, given that I have just sprung this frugality on my family.   But I'm going to stick with $400 because I am stubborn.

So, this is how I've done so far in month one.  I intend to improve. 

Meals Out:  $44/(budgeted $0)
Groceries:  $438/$400
Clothing: $104/(budgeted $0)
Household:  $0/$0
Gas:  $64/$60

You are doing great! It's hard to change both (eating out & grocery spending) so much in one month, but you are making progress! I have two hungry eaters (pre-teens, so not quite there yet) & the amount they can eat in any given week is astonishing. Our grocery budget (lots & lots & lots of produce) is around $625.

eliza

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #284 on: January 17, 2018, 06:22:51 PM »
Day 17: Success

Spent $9.28 at the grocery store:
  • $3.17 on a bottle of wine.
  • $6.11 on groceries - lettuce, celery, green peppers, cucumber, yogurt.  (Will get $2 back from rebate apps.)

Going back to work after vacation was kind of depressing --- glad I'm on track to be able to exit the career early.  My total non-gambling spending for the five day trip was $155.60.

Monthly spend-to-date: $679.07/$1,750.   

With rent ($537.50) and expected utilities ($105), I might even have a chance to stay under $1,500.
« Last Edit: January 17, 2018, 06:27:02 PM by eliza »

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #285 on: January 17, 2018, 08:43:04 PM »
Kid related spending
15 for minigolf (had heaps of fun)
35 for a trial piano lesson for my eldest. The little one announced that she wanted to play ukulele, but I deferred the decision on this one.

need a few more bits for school, it was mayhem at officeworks yesterday and I opted to escape after buying the essentials from the list. I think they still need new whiteboards and a sketchpad each, plus pencils, so I will pick those up on Saturday, when I don't have them with me.

They were quite good though, they realised quickly that I am buying only what is on the list.  And for the record, I ordered the school packs back in November, but they stuffed up the orders for the whole school big time and the earliest they can deliver is 2 weeks After school starts.  So now I am pushing trolleys with cranky kids among the school supply surrounded by other 1234 desperate parents. And of course they are not that quick in processing refunds.

Tomorrow we are going to the museum and I am packing a picnic. And this my friends is the last of the school holiday extravaganza.

So far, this month is not exactly an uberfrugal month for us but this exercise kept me on track and within budget, so not overspending (but still having fun) is a good enough result. February should be much better, not much entertainment is planned, though I will have some largish medical expenses then, so it will be good to keep everything else low.




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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #286 on: January 17, 2018, 09:08:09 PM »
I just discovered this and am feeling inspired to start my month of uber frugalness right...now

Actually last night. I was due for a haircut this month. I go through different phases of cutting my own hair vs OMG salon cuts look so much better and are totally worth it. I have been leaning towards the latter for the past year, but last night I busted out the scissors.

Let's call that $100 in my pocket.

westtoeast

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #287 on: January 18, 2018, 05:11:04 AM »
Wow, I'm impressed by how some of you are raking up so many no spend days! Very nice work!

JAN BUDGET:
Transportation (Bus, Train, Uber): $82/$100
Groceries: 218/$250-- Getting close to limit, but well stocked for the next week or two. Gotta be careful here.
Medical: $40/$40
Fitness: $0/$50
Misc Expenses: $211/$200
Clothing: $0/$0
Eating Out = $0/$0
TOTAL SPENDING GOAL: $552/$645

Wins:
- No clothing or eating out. Feeling motivated to keep the "no clothing spending" goal going as many months as I can. I really don't have an excuse to buy clothing until late spring at the earliest.
- I returned an expensive December purchase to Amazon. I accidentally selected "apply as gift card" instead of original payment method. Oops! But I turned this into a win because I used it to fill up an Amazon Pantry box full of basics like rice, beans, coconut milk, cooking oil, dried pasta, lentils, tea, coffee, etc. This should help me stick to basic recipes during the coming months.

Fails:
- Transportation. Going over, need to reign this in. Must only take bus! No Uber!
- Misc Expenses. I was pushed over budget by a few items. I bought a Kindle book. I bought a little milk frother for $10 to make my bulletproof coffee with. My hair straightener broke and I replaced it. My Vit C face serum needed replacing. I feel sorta bad about this, but I'm fairly minimal with my beauty routines and I just don't think I'm going to get more minimal. One nice face serum that lasts for months feels fair. My hair is very low maintenance (cut it myself, lighten with lemon in the sun) but I really love being able to get rid of awkward waves easily in the morning without getting my hair wet. Ok, that's enough justification for today! 

I think I'm going to try and use this month's "fails" to shape my February goals.


meghan88

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #288 on: January 18, 2018, 01:52:06 PM »
I'm currently on day 18 of Dry January.  Other wins:

- no restaurant meals or anything pre-made
- walked or biked to work each day, even during days that were -29 C with windchill
- no spending on anything other than groceries

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #289 on: January 18, 2018, 02:26:58 PM »
Frugal fail last night. We are huge library users, and went to pick up books last night. The librarian explained that we had too many fines to check out books. I stay on top of this pretty well, so I was surprised. It turns out that there were fines accruing on the kids accounts, and the email system stopped sending notifications to the parents. So, fines were racking up, but no warning emails were sent. I also couldn't log in. Anyway, paid the first half of my fine (only had $20 cash), and resolved the communication system with the librarian. So, this shouldn't happen again.

Made $4 selling an item on eBay. Such big money! ;-)

eliza

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #290 on: January 18, 2018, 05:35:53 PM »
Day 18: Success

No spend day!

Monthly spend-to-date: $679.07/$1,750.   

wordnerd

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #291 on: January 18, 2018, 05:42:55 PM »
I'm currently on day 18 of Dry January.  Other wins:

- no restaurant meals or anything pre-made
- walked or biked to work each day, even during days that were -29 C with windchill
- no spending on anything other than groceries

Badass!

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #292 on: January 19, 2018, 10:35:47 AM »
Definitely not going quite as we had planned the month to. Ended up spending money on bars/restaurants last weekend, but we spent time out of town and managed to see six different friends that day (that we don't get to see often anymore), so it was money well spent in that sense. Plus, husband has a tournament out of town this coming Saturday, and we're doing lunch with friends beforehand. Also ended up spending a little on clothes, but it was good overall- a christmas present was an employee store pass for a big outdoors company, and two $30 gift cards to go along with. The store pass expired on the 17th, so we went online using the code and got me a replacement rain jacket and got husband a replacement work backpack. Both very needed, and ended up being $24 out of pocket. These expenses would have happened eventually and would have ended up higher cost and/or lower quality, so it was still a win, although "ruined" another UFJ goal.

Grocery budget so far has been incredibly though. Only at $199 for the month so far. That is quite low for us. We're usually $500-600/month. We'll see how that goes the next couple weeks though.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #293 on: January 19, 2018, 11:02:09 AM »
No spend days so far: Jan 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 15.

Feeling happy because even if we are spending small amounts of money here and there, it is typically just a $15-$20 grocery store run for staples / fresh food, which makes it a spend day. We have a very small apartment (limited food storage) and hate wasting food, so we make many small grocery runs throughout the week rather than 1-2 big ones a month.

We haven't made any large purchases or purchased any consumer goods like clothing, beauty products, books, home decor, etc...

We have only spent on: basic groceries, TP, batteries, an energy-efficient light bulb, gas for our fuel-efficient car, one restaurant take-out meal, alcohol (out of our "personal $), and small consumable bday gifts for children in our extended family.

I did find this week MUCH more difficult, though - DH and I have both been working 10-12 hr days all week and are utterly exhausted by the time we get home. Have eaten through the stash of meals that I made & froze last week. Hard to get the energy to cook again today (day off). DH has also been dealing with some digestive issues, which means he can't eat some of the meals I can make most quickly/frugally. I have a feeling he will want to get take out from our fave place again ($27) tonight and honestly, I am going to find it hard to refuse.


Housing & Utilities:
$724 - Semi-Annual Property Tax *I technically have until early Feb to pay this, but I want to get it over with
$285 - Monthly strata fees
$71 - 2 cell phones
$11 - Netflix
$62 - Electricity bill for Nov/Dec
$64 - Mortgage Interest
TOTAL: $1217 (1217/1425 CAD)

Everything Else:
$74 - Gas
$310 - Groceries
$27 - Restaurant
$40 - My personal (40/40)
$42 - DH personal (42/40)
$21 - Misc household (batteries, TP, lightbulb)
$10 - Charitable donation
$7 - Bday gift for young family member
TOTAL: $531 (531/915 CAD)

One suggestion would be to consider if there is an easy grocery store alternative that is cheaper than takeout? Something ready made & not as cheap as cooking a meal, but cheaper than takeout. If not an option for tonight, I find that having a few of those splurge items on hand helps cut back on last minute meals out.

lemonverbena

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #294 on: January 19, 2018, 12:49:57 PM »
Ugh, bumpy start.

Days 1-5:
Groceries/alcohol/toiletries: $316... this is so bad! It happened over multiple trips
Medical/pharmacy: $278... 100% necessary
Home repair/improvement: $45 wood for window trim in newly converted attic bedroom
Pot (spouse): $40
Gasoline: $36
Entertainment (children): $15 an uncommon spending category for us
Continuing education: $76
Mortgage: $1253
Health insurance: $265
Snacks while out (children): $19 a far too common spending category for us

Days 6-19:
Groceries: $278 (spouse has been doing all the grocery shopping this month)
Pharmacy: $46
Fast food: $90 (this was burgers and pizza when my spouse was out with the kids without me, a snack my spouse got while at a movie, pretzels my spouse bought to kill time with my younger one while the older one was still ice skating, and burritos my husband brought home for dinner one night without asking me)
Gasoline: $105 (3 fill ups between 2 cars)
Electric bill: $137
Cell phone bill: $42
Roof loan payment: $94
Movie ticket: $12 (spouse, very rare spending category)
Pot: $60 (spouse)
Ice skating: $76
Toy bought off Craigslist: $18
Ice cream reward/bribe for kids: $10 (over 2 events)

The last three items were from before I started my personal No Spend Year on January 10th (obviously, my husband is doing his own thing).

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #295 on: January 19, 2018, 01:03:06 PM »
Ugh, bumpy start.

Days 1-5:
Groceries/alcohol/toiletries: $316... this is so bad! It happened over multiple trips
Medical/pharmacy: $278... 100% necessary
Home repair/improvement: $45 wood for window trim in newly converted attic bedroom
Pot (spouse): $40
Gasoline: $36
Entertainment (children): $15 an uncommon spending category for us
Continuing education: $76
Mortgage: $1253
Health insurance: $265
Snacks while out (children): $19 a far too common spending category for us

Days 6-19:
Groceries: $278 (spouse has been doing all the grocery shopping this month)
Pharmacy: $46
Fast food: $90 (this was burgers and pizza when my spouse was out with the kids without me, a snack my spouse got while at a movie, pretzels my spouse bought to kill time with my younger one while the older one was still ice skating, and burritos my husband brought home for dinner one night without asking me)
Gasoline: $105 (3 fill ups between 2 cars)
Electric bill: $137
Cell phone bill: $42
Roof loan payment: $94
Movie ticket: $12 (spouse, very rare spending category)
Pot: $60 (spouse)
Ice skating: $76
Toy bought off Craigslist: $18
Ice cream reward/bribe for kids: $10 (over 2 events)

The last three items were from before I started my personal No Spend Year on January 10th (obviously, my husband is doing his own thing).

We definitely bought more snacks out when the kids were younger. Can you offset some of that by making/packing your own snacks when you know you'll be out of the house. We have a few "snack bins" in the pantry that I grab from (protein bars, granola bars, dried fruit, trail mix) if I know we'll be out of the house. We also always bring water for everyone. My kids are likely older than yours (10 & 11), but they know that we bring snacks from home, and rarely buy anything out.

lemonverbena

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #296 on: January 19, 2018, 01:14:50 PM »

We definitely bought more snacks out when the kids were younger. Can you offset some of that by making/packing your own snacks when you know you'll be out of the house. We have a few "snack bins" in the pantry that I grab from (protein bars, granola bars, dried fruit, trail mix) if I know we'll be out of the house. We also always bring water for everyone. My kids are likely older than yours (10 & 11), but they know that we bring snacks from home, and rarely buy anything out.

I'm trying to be so much better about this! Unfortunately, my husband really views food out as entertainment still. We've both come a long way from how we used to spend in this category, but there's definitely still room for improvement!

jkitiara

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #297 on: January 19, 2018, 03:06:10 PM »
I shopped on Monday for what I thought was 3 meals, but because we've been working so hard to cook at home, that has stretched to all week. Seems counter-intuitive, but one big dinner I made (egg roll in a bowl) stretched out to 3+ dinners. So I didn't go back to grocery store at ALL yet and in fact we have pork chops getting borderline old that we have to cook tonight. Crazy.

"Treat" food is still what trips me up though. $4 mocha yesterday "because I was cold". $1 sesame roll on the way to the playground today because, well, because I wanted it.

All of my Whole Foods spending this week is going towards 5x quarterly bonus points on my credit card too. So yay! Random WF hot tip for those few of you who might go there with kids: at the customer service desk, ask about a "kids club" treat. My local store has a fruit strip or bag of pirates booty or an apple for my kiddo every time. Free!

My biggest progress is researching cheaper health insurance options. Now that kiddo is older, I think I can convince DH to step away from the Gold plan!

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #298 on: January 19, 2018, 04:06:12 PM »
After three weeks of no take out and only home cooked dinners, I was TOTALLY craving Chinese food tonight.  And my daughter texted me at work, asking if we could have Chinese too!   So....

I told her I had plans for a tofu rice stir fry for dinner. I picked up the tofu and the green onions on the way home.

I hope I do a good job.   Nothing worse than having a craving, and trying to be frugal about it, and failing miserably.

eliza

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #299 on: January 19, 2018, 04:56:18 PM »
Day 19: Success
Spent: $13.44
  • $.80 @ CVS - Tissues for my office
  • $6.30 @ grocery store for two bottles of wine
  • $6.34 @ grocery store for apples (3), bananas (2), yogurt (4), pasta (1lb), cottage cheese (16oz), cheddar cheese (8oz).  Will get $2.50 back from rebate apps.

In a frugal fail/win, I forgot to take my lunch to work today and was super bummed until I remember that I had stocked a drawer in my office with emergency soup.  It's not the healthiest nor the cheapest lunch - but it's better than what I would have bought in the food court.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!